Florida teacher fired after he’s accused of ‘full-frontal’ hugs
A Broward teacher fighting a 10-day suspension for allegations that he gave unwanted hugs got an unexpected judgment from the School Board this week — he was fired.
The action, taken Tuesday, is the latest in a series of unusual developments in the disciplinary case of Karleef Kebreau, a math teacher at Miramar High who was originally recommended for just a one-day suspension. His lawyer said he will appeal the decision.
A half-dozen girls say Kebreau made inappropriate comments and gave “full frontal” hugs that could last up to 30 seconds. One girl said he asked if she wanted him as her boyfriend. Others said he referred to them as “my African queen” or “my Haitian queen.”
School Board members approved a 10-day suspension for Kebreau in 2019, leading Kebreau to appeal. A judge sided with the district, but the case came back to the School Board for a final decision. School Board members said Tuesday they’d listened to audio testimony of multiple girls who described being sexually harassed and now felt Kebreau should be fired.
“There’s no way we can just suspend this man. It would tell me I’m failing to protect students,” School Board Chairwoman Rosalind Osgood said. “Are we going to wait another two years to get more cases like this and more girls with trauma?”
Kebreau hung up on a reporter who called Wednesday. His lawyer, Melissa Mihok, said she was taken aback by the board’s decision since she was expecting to be defending him against only a 10-day suspension. Mihok said Wednesday that she plans to appeal to the 4th District Court of Appeals.
“There was no due process. We had no idea the board was planning on doing that, and we weren’t prepared,” Mihok said. “My client wasn’t even there.”
During Tuesday’s testimony, Mihok argued that the case had already gotten “out of control,” because a disciplinary committee in 2019 recommended a one-day suspension, which Superintendent Robert Runcie initially supported.
“It is commonplace for teachers and administrators to hug students and other employees,” Mihok told School Board members Tuesday. “My client denies inappropriately hugging any student, and I don’t think there was any evidence to support the findings he violated the rules.”
In a 2019 interview, Kebreau said the first allegation came from “someone who was trying to get out of a failing grade.” Several other allegations came from girls who were not in his class. Kebreau said he believes it was a “group of friends trying to help each other out.”
Kebreau said in 2019 that he acknowledged hugging students, but not inappropriately.
“My students give me hugs, female and male, on their way into the classroom,” he said. “I’m standing there and all of a sudden, a student wants to give me hug. I’ve seen administrators give hugs, and they’re not being questioned.”
